Hunters Of Another Kind
by Insanity-is-our-friend
Summary: This year at the Hunter Exam, there are quite a few intriguing examinees. Pay close attention now because there are a few that meld within the crowd but, if you look closely, you will see that what they appear to be and who they are are not one in the same... Warning: OC, may be a bit OOC, major comedy within, and wierdness will ensure. Don't forget to R&R People! :D
1. The New Examinees

**Hello hello everyone, a new face greets you all! I'm Ash-Lee, or just Ash usually. Welcome to my…our…story! Now read on and make sure to read carefully, not everyone is as they seem… I'm kidding I'm kidding, just read and I'll see you in a bit!**

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**-The Examinees-**

Gon took the 405 badge that was handed to him upon exiting the lift that had taken him, Kurapika and Leorio to the Hunter Exam Site located beneath Zaban City. Now, as he cast his eyes around the underground tunnel, the warning that the captain had given him rose back to the front of his mind.

_"Kid, I like you so I'm going to tell you some advice. You see that massive Cedar tree up there on the hill? Head towards it. You'll be tested along the way there but you will meet the Navigators that will take you towards the first stage of the exam...Also, a warning for you to keep in mind...if number ten is a blonde female, be careful of her. She's not all that she seems." _

The atmosphere was tense, the eyes that had turned their way upon arrival soon leaving them as the interest vanished. Gon continued to scan the crowds before a voice called

"Hey, haven't seen you guys around before." Three pairs of eyes rose to look at a brown haired round-nosed guy smiling down at them from his spot atop the pipes lining the walls. Gon took a few steps forward asking

"You can tell we're new?" The guy chuckled and jumped down replying

"More or less. After all, this is my thirty-fifth attempt." All three pairs of eyes widened as Leorio and Gon cried

"Thirty five times?!" He grinned widely.

"Yep, guess you could say I'm an exam veteran!" Leorio and Kurapika sighed as Leorio muttered

"That's not something to brag about..." Kurapika voiced his agreement as the guy, number 16, added

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I'm Tonpa." Gon smiled and thanked him before introducing himself and his friends. He cast his eyes around quickly once again before asking Tonpa

"Say, are there any others that have taken the exam a bunch of times?"

He looked almost proud as he replied

"Well, I have the most experience here but there are a few others. For instance, there's him..." He pointed to a large guy eating some snacks with the number 255 on his badge.

"Todo the Wrestler. He's unmatched in strength and he's a lot smarter than he looks." He the pointed to a guy wearing a turban.

"On the other side we have number 103; Bourbon the Snake Charmer. He tends to hold grudges so you don't want to end up on his bad side. And then.." He pointed to an older man calmly meditating cross-legged on the floor.

"Number 191, Bodoro the kung fu master. He's getting old but there still isn't a better martial artist around." He next pointed to a group of three men, all three smirking confidently.

"Then you have the three brothers; Amori, Imori and Umori. They perform consistently well thanks to their ecellent team work. And number 384, Gerreta, the huntsman..." He pointed to a dark skinned male carefully cleaning the end of a long blow gun.

"He specialises in killing all manner of creatures by blow dart and club. There are many more but they have taken the test many times." Then he looked around and turned to the trio adding

"And the psychopath is back. Number 44, Hisoka the Magician. Last year he was virtual lock to pass the exam until he all but killed an examiner he didn't like."

The trio stared at him incredulously as Leorio asked

"And they're letting him re-take the exam?!" Tonpa nodded grimly.

"Of course...anyway, no one likes him. You should stay away too." Gon frowned in Hisoka's direction but couldn't hide his excitement of the challenges that awaited him.

Then he remembered the captain's words again and turned back to Tonpa asking

"Hey Tonpa, what can you tell me about Number 10?" Tonpa blinked, looking confused, but answered nonetheless.

"Number 10 hey? They're the one who holds the record for Most Exams Taken; they've been here even more than me. I honestly don't know that much about them but I can tell you that, since I entered, Number 10 has always been a young blonde female. And every year that I come back, she's always here but...you know what's odd?" Gon shook his head, listening intently as Tonpa continued,

"She never seems to age. When I first entered the exam, I heard that she nearly always makes it to the Fourth Phase, often making it right to the Final Phase but she has yet to pass, plus from what I've seen she is still in her mid-twenties!. She's been here every year that I have but...I can't see her today though I'm positive she's in this crowd somewhere; she always is."

The trio looked at each other before Gon grinned widely saying

"Let's see if we can find her!"

Looking at Gon, Leorio and Kurapika sighed in almost harmony as Tonpa gave them a bewildered look, the boy grabbed onto Kurapika and Leorio as his rod hooked the collar of Tonpa's shirt. Dragging them through the sea of applicants he used his keen eyes to search out the figure he had been told about. It didn't take him too long to see his target and Tonpa was worried about how she would react to this crazy rookie.

"Hi! My name is Gon!"

The blonde female looked up from her book and she inclined her head slightly. Something made Gon believe that she had just said 'Hello' back to him.

"You don't talk much do you? Nor do you show that many emotions."

She bowed her head slightly and Gon smiled at her. Tonpa was staring at the rookie, _How the hell could he understand her? The queen of silence? Heck,_ Tonpa realised with a start, _I've never even heard her speak!_

"Is it true when they say you've taken the exams forty-four times?" Tonpa went to correct the kid but found himself frozen when number ten opened her mouth. "I may be old Gon, but not that old. I've taken the exams forty times. Also, my name is Grace. Just so you don't have to call me number ten, kid." All of the older men found themselves wrapped within the melting chocolate mixed with smooth honey that was her surprisingly deep voice. Gon smiled brilliantly before re-hooking Tonpa and grabbing both Leorio and Kurapika and dragging them off with a wave.

"Bye Grace! I'll see you later!"

They were running for the first task. Grace was gliding along the roller blades that she had packed, which were useful for once...she hadn't had a reason to use them before. _So it was a test of endurance and mental stability for this year's first task, Hang on what was... He's using laxatives this year? And none of the rookies look troubled, looks like he's in for a tough time this year._ Grace found herself right beside Satotz as he did his strange walk-run-jog-march thing that she had seen before.

"Hello Grace. You know I'm rather surprised that you told that kid your name." Her slightly raised eyebrow was all he got but he took it to mean 'What's it to you? The kid is interesting for a rookie, so are his companions.' As they both continued to run, or roll, Grace noticed a young girl coming up to them. _Another rookie? This year's bunch seem competent for once, it's weird... _It was then she realised this girl, number 169, had a large smile on her face as she mimicked Satotz's way of running...or was attempting to. Grace turned her head slightly to watch in amusement at the girls attempt.

Soon enough the girl was right behind them, catching up easily even as she finally got Satotz's run exactly right, looking quite pleased with herself as she matched her timing with the purple haired man who sweat dropped ever so slightly after watching her actions from the corner of his eye. The light brown haired girl suddenly started laughing as she muttered

"This feels so weird...but it's surprisingly easy to run like this." With that she laughed harder as Grace turned her eyes forward again, face betraying no emotion even as she thought _no, you're the weird one. _

Within the next second, she heard a murmured

"Oops...messed that step up..." before a loud crash echoed from behind her. She turned, bracing herself just in time to stop herself from falling over as the girl somersaulted into the back of her legs. Grace rolled a bit forward before stopping herself and turning to face the girl on the ground who was rubbing her head, ignoring the applicants running around them. Earnest yet mysterious dark blue grey tinted eyes rose to meet Grace's dark grey blue tinted ones. Grace blinked once and rose an eyebrow. The girl blinked back before sighing and bowing her head saying

"Yeah, yeah I know; I'm sorry for running into you." Grace replied by tilting her head to the other side ever so slightly. The girl laughed and stood, brushing the dust off her pants saying sarcastically

"So glad I'm forgiven for my major crime against you." Grace didn't move an inch but, again, the girl seemed to read her as if she had said the word aloud.

"I'm just messing with you. But still, you had to stop me when I was on a roll. Why?" By now, Grace was confused but getting tired of the rookie so she turned and started to return to the run. Then she stopped as the girl muttered

"Geez, I know the roll was intentional. Learn to take a joke." With that she took off, weaving her way back through the applicants that had passed the two girls during their brief stop.

With no emotions showing as usual, Grace mentally stared after the brown haired girl. She hadn't said a word or shown any expression that would have betrayed what she was thinking or what she had intended to say yet this girl, this klutz of a rookie, was seeing straight through her mask of emotionless silence to the woman who was talking animatedly...and so damn easily too.

...And, for some reason, that really irked her. With her annoyance levels bubbling slowly, Grace turned around and started rolling off through the throng of applicants, returning to her spot beside Satotz moments later, the odd girl not too far behind her once again.

As the end neared, she could hear the relived voices of the other applicants, well, from the ones who hadn't dropped out yet anyway plus a pair of children's footsteps drawing closer. Reaching the exit a step behind the examiner, Grace moved to the side, taking her rollerblades off and putting them back in her bag. As Satotz turned to evaluate the remaining applicants, two kids raced past him, the weirdo girl two steps behind them. Satotz revealed nothing as he turned to watch the two boys arguing over who won, the short girl stretching as she walked off a little, looking around in curiosity and Grace was looking bored as usual, leaning casually against the wall waiting for the others to catch up. Mentally Satotz smiled…this year's bunch was an intriguing lot.

Finally everyone else arrived, many out of breath while few were either winded slightly or completely fine. All eyes rose as the thick fog surrounding them started to clear revealing a large and dense tree filled landscape. Satotz looked over the applicants and said

"The Numere Wetlands, also known as the Swindlers Swamp. We must cross these wetlands to reach the site of the second phase." Grace looked up at his words, eyes widening ever so slightly as a shudder coursed through her.

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**And that is the just a taste of what's to come. Can you guess what Grace is scared of? It's really kinda funny actually but I'll keep my mouth shut and you can just find out in the next chapter. We have more ready to go so, if you like it, let us know and we'll have a new chapter up for you within the next couple of days. Please review, I want to come back and talk to you all again! And Grace does to but she's too busy quaking in her boots to talk right now…maybe she'll speak up in the next chapter. **

**Hope to see you soon!**

**Bye**

**Ash-Lee (and Grace)**


	2. Frog Troubles

**Yes, that's right, I'm back! Firstly, THANK YOU Laex for been our very first reviewer on this story, so glad you are enjoying it so far :D and without further ado, onto the next chapter! Namely because Grace is glaring at me, I think she wants this section to be over with…haha**

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**-Frog Troubles-**

_Wait did he say wetlands? As in frogs? Not good... not good! I hate frogs!_

The ice cold fear that suddenly rushed through her veins caused her to kneel down by the wall, no one noticing her quiet actions except for one pair of blue-grey eyes. Silently Grace sat there, breathing deeply as she tried to calm herself in preparation for the run through the Wetlands…she just prayed there weren't any frogs. She was unsure how long it took for her nerves and stomach to settle but, by the time she looked back up and returned to reality, everyone was starting to run off into the wetlands after Satotz.

Getting herself into gear, she got up and quickly started running again but, soon enough, Grace found herself closer to the back of the main pack than she would have liked, the idea of frogs slowing her down. She knew that she couldn't use the special route Satotz had given her before unless the time was running out because by then a majority of the applicants would have arrived and she wouldn't seem to have received any special bonus. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the same girl from before however this time she was running backwards, clearly not paying attention as she headed straight toward a pit of exploding toadstools.

With a deep sigh she turned to face the girl a little, knowing she would see it and be able to read the warning underlining her motions…if before was anything to go by. The girls eyes rose at the movement, blinking once before understanding dawned on her. Quickly she pivoted, facing the front with enough time to push herself back onto the path and keep her legs from been blown off. The girl directed a smile of thanks toward Grace, running to catch up. As soon as she got close though she pivoted again and started running backwards once more, chuckling quietly…why though Grace was uncertain.

Barely a few minutes later Grace heard the girl behind her swear lightly, the continuous sound of their unified footsteps disrupted as the girl's foot got caught on something. Grace stopped, turning to catch the falling girl in time to prevent them from both exploding. She looked down at the girl hanging from her arms, noting that the girls shirt hung barely a centimetre above the toadstool. The other thing she noted was the strength in Ash's arms. Just by holding her up, Grace could tell this girl was not as much as an idiot as she put on, or as weak as she looked. She hid her strength and quite well but knowing that she could have saved herself yet chose not to started to irk Grace again. She didn't know what it was but this girl had a really nasty way of getting under her skin which, for most, was impossible!

She turned her attention back to the girl as she breathed out slowly, mumbling a soft 'thanks' before pushing herself back into a standing position. The girl let out another breath and raised her eyes to look at Grace before she rolled her eyes saying

"Geez, I'm sorry! There's no need to glower at me." Grace blinked at her as the other girls gaze swept over her, looking for something. She obviously met the standards in place as a grin appeared and the girl spoke again, finally introducing herself.

"My name's Ash. Thanks again. We'll be friends... I can see it. Bye Grace!"

With that said she raced off, facing forward finally, through the fog again, leaving a slightly dumbfounded Grace behind. Grace blinked once…twice….thrice…before she said slowly

"How did she know my name...and friends…with that weirdo? Yeah, no, not in a million years." It was then she realised she needed to catch up Ash who was steadily getting further and further away. Letting out an irritated sound, Grace ran after the girl…neither one noticing the hidden frog they were approaching.

It didn't take long for her to catch up to Ash…either Grace was just that fast or Ash was really slow. Suddenly the girl stopped, Grace running a few steps ahead before halting, turning to look at the brown haired girl. Ash looked as if she was frozen, eyes widening slightly as she stared at the ground. Grace frowned, opening her mouth to ask a question only to freeze as well as the ground suddenly fell from beneath their feet. Ash looked at Grace quickly and muttered with a small mischievous smile

"Not good" right before they were engulfed by the giant mouth of a frog.

Everything went dark as the frogs insides pushed up against them, squashing them together while its stomach fluids oozed around and over them. Ash grimaced, muttering

"This is so disgusting" before frowning and pushing against the stomach walls in front of her as she felt the other female shaking violently against her back. Muffling her curse as more stomach fluid soaked through her clothing, Ash turned her head slightly saying

"Grace, you alright?" The muffled whimper encouraged Ash to push at the stomach lining so she could manoeuvre herself around the smaller girl and in front, pushing her back against the flesh to stop it from hitting Grace's front. Ash gazed down at Grace, titling her head as she rapidly through of reasons for the girls violent shaking and quickly concluding it wasn't from the stomach surrounding them or the fact they were been eaten alive.

Grace slowly rose her head slightly to meet Ash's gaze as she somehow managed to stutter out

"I'm pet...rifi...ed of Fr...rogs... I..I can't mo…mo…move rig..ht now. A..Ash… Ho...w will we g...get out of he…he…here?" The pure fear in her eyes spoke volumes and Ash frowned slightly; as much it was amusing to find out Grace was terrified of frogs…at the moment, the revolution she was feeling from the stomach fluids smothered it…for now. Letting out a sigh, Ash shuffled a bit muttering

"Right. Let's get out of here."

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**You got it, Grace is terrified of frogs (obviously). Told you it was kinda funny! XD And of course, I shall save the day once again! *ducks the book thrown at her, looks over at Grace* Fine, fine, I'll shut up and get the next chapter ready…geez, see the thanks I get? *pokes tongue out at Grace* I should just leave you there, leave you to be swallowed up *ducks again and laughs* but if I do that there will less fun to come so onto writing the next part where I, Ash-Lee the Brave, shall rescue this poor unfortunate soul...**

***sudden The Little Mermaid song stuck in head* Oookay then… **

**Anyway, catch you all in the next chapter! **

**Ash and Grace**


	3. Passing of the First Exam

**And back again with a new update for 'Hidden Talents'. I'm not going to keep you from reading about my short heroic actions so read on…I'll chat with you at the end ^_^**

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**-Passing of the First Exam-**

Grace looked up at her again quickly, eyes widening as Ash pulled out a small bundle of white flowers with eight petals from her bag. Ash grinned evilly as she crushed it in her fist and threw it under them, sending it further into the frogs stomach as Grace stammered

"B…b…bloodroot?" Ash nodded, wrapping her arms around Grace's shoulders as the stomach fluids started to bubble up and the flesh around them convulsed.

"Hold on."

The fluids suddenly rushed upwards, the force pushing them up through the frog and out of its mouth in a rush, sending them both sprawling on the ground in a pile of stomach juice. Grace laid there, staring up at the sky in a slightly stunned state while Ash stood, shaking as much of the juices off as she could making a face in disgust. The frog looked at them as if deciding whether to eat them again or not but quickly decided against it after that experience.

With that it turned and waddled off, leaving the girls to try and clean themselves off …once Grace recovered from the ordeal.

Barely a minute later Ash yanking Grace off the ground saying

"Come on, let's go!" Grace just nodded, still in a state of shock as she ran after the younger girl, her attention focused on trying to keep her footing rather than her surroundings, unknowingly relying on Ash to keep them on the right path. Five minutes later Grace was finally starting to return to herself, eyes rising to look at Ash's back rather than her feet where they'd been locked beforehand. Suddenly she stopped, staring at the watch on her wrist before yelling with more emotion than she'd used in a long while,

"Crap, we're not gonna make it following the normal path! We'll have to take the shortcut!" Ash, who was still running, look over her shoulder saying

"Shortcut? Well that woulda been nice to know. Where is it?" Grace looked around and then pointed back the way they had come replying

"Oh bout 358 metres back that way." Grace looked back at Ash in time to see the girl grind herself to a rapid halt, stopping so suddenly that her feet slipped out from underneath her, sending her falling to the ground. Ash laid spread eagled on the ground, cursing under her breath as she tilted her head back to look at Grace yelling

"You kidding me! Why didn't you say so before?!" Grace had turned away slightly, actually trying to smother a laugh bubbling up in her throat for the first time in years. Managing to swallow it and get her face under control she turned back and shrugged saying simply

"I was busy."

Ash glowered at her slightly, pouting as she rolled over and pushed herself up so she could jog back to where Grace was standing, both girls quickly running back the way they had come before taking a sharp turn down a narrow path weaving its way through the woods. Grace glanced at her watch again before stopping, grumbling under her breath as she murmured

"We're still not gonna make it We have barely two minutes left…it'll take at least 3 to get to the end. Hmm…" She looked over her shoulder at the brown haired girl who was watching her, head titled slightly. Grace felt her lips curve into a smirk as her gaze travelled upwards, mentally calculating the right trajectory before turning to face Ash completely. Ash took a step back at the grin on Grace's face as she asked slowly

"Yes Grace?" Grace grinned further as she quickly reached out to grab a hold of Ash's arm, spinning around. As she gained speed, Ash's eyes flew wide before she yelled

"Grace! What are you doing?!" Grace cackled, preparing for the final turn and throw, replying

"Getting us to the finish line...and revenge for the frog!" With that she let go of Ash's arm, the girl flying up through the air.

Grace grinned widely before a wave of energy shifted over her body, a pair of colourful dragon wings, each about 7 feet long, springing from her back. Smiling she pushed down strongly a few times before she flew upwards, slowly at first as she gained momentum but she quickly gained speed and power, soaring through the sky after the previously thrown girl. Ash stared as she got closer, yelling over the wind

"What the hell? You're a Magical Beast?" Grace shrugged nonchalantly as she passed replying

"I guess… you could say that... I'm the last of my kind and a lot smarter than most beasts." Ash tilted her head and then smiled saying

"Well that explains why you smelt different." Grace looked at her side long, her expression saying that that comment just made Ash seem even weirder, before she let out a sigh and then smirked.

"See you at the finish line…if you don't lose momentum first that is." Ash blinked and shouted

"Hey!" as Grace flapped her wings harder, propelling herself forward at a faster pace. She chuckled to herself as she flew toward the clearing where she knew Satotz would be, knowing full well that she had put enough propulsion behind her throw to get Ash to the finish line... maybe just before it in a worst case scenario. Grace glanced back briefly before halting mid-air, blinking rapidly as her eyes sought out the shape of a person that should be following her. The Fosse girl frowned slightly, knowing her calculations couldn't have been _that _far off before she actually let out an indignant yelp as an upside down grinning face suddenly popped into her vision.

Ash cracked up laughing, allowing her heartbeat and breathing to return to normal as Grace glowered at her. Ash just winked at her before sitting upright saying

"Flying was fun but catching a ride was just easier." Grace crossed her arms as she felt Ash settle back down between her wings before starting to fly them toward the finish again…trying to figure out why she hadn't noticed before. As she flew, she realised that Ash had used her skills as a tracker…which was evident from earlier…to mask her presence completely so that if you weren't concentrating, you wouldn't notice her. In a sense, Ash had just used Zetsu without even trying! The fact that this girl had managed to do so without Grace realising only served as a mild annoyance which quickly passed as Grace starting planning her revenge.

With 15 seconds to spare, Grace hovered high above the clearing, zoning in on her landing spot and then, without any warning, folded her wings in and dove straight down, knowing full well that Ash fell off about halfway down due to the suddenness of the drop. At the last second, Grace flung out her wings, catching the air and slowing her dive enough to land perfectly, a dust cloud rising up around her as she pulled the wings back into her body before anyone could fully notice. Ash landed in a crouch right beside her with a heavy 'thud', letting out a breath as she stood and dusted herself off saying in a mildly irritated but amused tone

"A warning would have been helpful." Grace smirked before replying

"Most likely yes however I had more fun this way." To that, Ash had no comeback considering she agreed with that statement. Huffing, the taller but younger of the two walked off toward Satotz as the examiner called out

"Excellent work everyone. Phase two of the exam will occur here at Biska forest Park. So I shall take my leave. Best of luck to all of you."

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**See?! The thanks I get for rescuing her from the frog is to be thrown through the air and then dropped to my death. Hmph, some friend you are. *Grace just rolls her eyes and raises an eye brow* We are not friends. *Ash laughs* That's what you think. Oh speaking of thinking, what did you think of the story so far? Crazy I know but did you enjoy it? If so let us know by hitting the button below and we'll get to work on the next chapter soon. Update may be a bit later than the last few were but it'll be worth the wait because..in the next chapter…we have a personality switch coming up. A little teaser for you to mull over. Anyway, Grace is threatening to throw me off a cliff this time if I don't stop babbling so this is Ash, signing off! Cya! **


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